Loud/High Fan Speed on H110iGTX

[razor488]

I am having an issue with very loud fan noise on my H110iGTX CPU cooler. When I first built my computer, I did not have this issue.

 

• I am running an i7 6700
  

• idle in windows - 36.2C and fan is 1300 RPM (quite, no problem)
  

• Playing Hearthstone, which isn't a demanding game, I am getting about 41C and 2340 RPM fan speed which is very loud.
  

• I have the Corsair iCUE software installed and the performance mode set to quite. I have also uninstalled the iCUE software entirely, but the same thing happens.
  

• I used compressed air to make sure the case is free of dust.
  

 

What else can I try? The fan gets loud anytime iCUE indicates the CPU is over 40C.

 

One thing - I went into the BIOS to make sure the CPU isn't overclocked, and the CPU temperature according to the bios was 50C. The other temperature numbers i mentioned were according to the Corsair iCUE software.

[DevBiker]

Can you please fill out your system specs? Please include ALL details.

 

Also, is your cooler configured as exhaust?

[c-attack]

Are those 36 and 41C temperatures CPU temps or liquid temperature (H110 GTX Temp)? If the coolant hits 40C, the preset curves will kick it to maximum. Also, 36C liquid temp would be a bit high for idle unless you have a 30C room temperature.

[razor488]

I filled out the details. I think it is configured as exhaust but I will confirm.

 

The 36 and 41 numbers are what's listed on the iCUE software under the performance tab on the left and when you click on the H110 cooler. I guess I am not sure if that is CPU temp or liquit temp? I just know when it gets over 40C, the fan goes hard. The room temp is 70F

[c-attack]

That is indeed the liquid or coolant temperature. 36C is pretty high for idle or non-load conditions. Most people have a idle value of +4-7C above room temp and I would expect it to be in 26-29C range. +8-10C over that is like a load condition. However, we also need to rule out any environmental factors.

 

Obviously if the entire case is 36C inside, then the radiator and coolant will be as well. Look for your motherboard temp sensor, drive temps, or anything else to help figure out a rough interior temp. Sadly iCUE and Link are only moderately helpful for this with a lot of bogus temp readings.

 

A dust filter or solid accumulation of dust on the radiator can also cause this. Both can prevent the radiator/fan combination from expelling its heat. Same thing with any local obstacles. Stuff it under a desk and that space will heat up and become its own little heat zone.

[razor488]

Thank you so much for this help.

 

I downloaded Core Temp. My CPU temp at idle is around 27-30C according to Core Temp. I launched Hearthstone and played for a few minutes. Whenever iCUE indicated 40C and the fan ramped up, my CPU cores were between 50-62C according to Core Temp. I sprayed out the H110 yet again and made sure it was clear of dust.

[c-attack]

It would need to a large quantity of dust, almost carpet like, to have a profound negative impact. Light dust will not up your coolant temps by +10C.

 

How does the 36C idle coolant temp compare to other case temp values? (motherboard, drive temps, etc). If they are also all around 36C, that suggests your whole case is 36 and this is normal. If they are in the 20s, then that suggests a problem with the cooler.

 

If the H110i GTX temp is 36C, then the exhaust from the radiator will also be 36C. That is warm and pretty obvious on your hand. Is your exhaust warm? Or cold?

 

Generally, your core temps cannot be lower than the coolant temperature. If real temp is reporting 27-30C, then the coolant should also be around 27C. Do you see frequent changes in the H110i GTX temp? It should be steady, rising only slowly when under load. Even under a stress test it would only go up +1C per min.

 

If you toggle the pump speed between low and high, does the H100i GTX temp change? Do you hear the liquid squirt/stream/gurgle when you increase the speed again?

[razor488]

Here are some new numbers after I left the computer idle for an extended period.

Idle CPU core temps at idle: 22-26.

Coolant Temp - 30.2 degrees and steady.

M.2 HD temp - 45C

7200 RPM hard drives X 2 are both 31C.

 

At idle, the pump is at 2010 RPM in quiet mode. I changed it to Extreme and it went to over 3000 RPM. I couldn't hear any noise difference or any squirt/stream/gurgle sounds. The temp did not really change.

 

I launched Hearthstone and started playing. It took 12 minutes before the coolant temp went from 30 to 40, topping out at 40.7.

[c-attack]

m.2 drives aren't very good for temp checking because they are very thermally sensitive and run warm to begin with. However, the other two suggest the entire case is 30-31C, which does match the coolant. I am not sure how the cores are dropping to 22C in a 30C liquid state, unless you have some high C-states enabled and they shut down.

 

However, the part that is still bothering me is +10C in 12 min of gaming in something that is not exactly a GPU heavy, case heater. You really should top out at +6-8C when running a 100% stress test so that raises some questions.

 

Typically with blockage or slowly dying coolers, the coolant temp goes up fast like this, but then takes an eternity to come back down. However, a hot case can also cause this if the internal temperature also stays high. A few ways to check this. 1) Run a CPU only stress test for 5-10 min. Pick something light like Intel XTU in case there really is a cooler issue. You shouldn't overheat, even if there is. Note the starting/ending coolant temps and also if the coolant temp returns to the start value within 5-10 min after you finish. 2) A less sophisticated way to check case heat is to run with the door off and see if temps are drastically less. That usually suggests a basic heat management issue, but then most everyone is a little cooler with the door off.

[razor488]

I am going to run the test and get back with you. I played some overwatch and I topped out at 47C. After quiting Overwatch, the temp went from 47 down to 36 in about 3:30. It stalled around there and took 7 minutes to get from 47 to 34.3. At 10 minutes the temp was at 33.2

 

Edit - I changed the pump mode to "extreme" and it kept the temp down around 35C while playing hearthstone.

Edited November 5, 2018 by razor488

[c-attack]

OK, that seems like normal behavior (the coolant drop). The last few degrees always take longer and further suggests the baseline temp in your case is 31C. So it seems like it just basic heat management things you need to worry about.

 

Now as for fan curves, don't use the presets. Make your own to keep the fans in check. If your baseline case ambient and coolant temp is 31C, you can't lower it 2000 or 10,000 rpm. Make that your quiet desktop speed, something like 500-600 rpm. Somewhere around the 34/35C mark you will want the fans to get up a moderate working speed, something like 700-800 rpm. That 47C mark in overwatch seems really high to me. I am going to guess that is a lot of GPU heat (perhaps based on your resolution and settings). You will want to set the fans as high as you can stand for 47C. That shouldn't be 2000 rpm. No one can stand 2000 rpm with those.

 

What this really reads like is the radiator/fans cannot expel its heat away cleanly. There is some kind of restriction, whether the case in under a desk, a dust filter on top, or some kind of case panel preventing the heat from escaping. Where is the H110i GTX radiator mounted? Front intake? Or top exhaust? Your reference design closed GPU should put a lot of the heat out the back. Compare your coolant temp to something like your motherboard and PCH/chipset temps. If they are all the same, that does suggest the case it hot vs just the cooler and a problem.

[razor488]

Thank you. I will try the custom fan curve. The case is not under a desk, it is out in the open. Here are some photos to show my fan configuration. A friend helped me build this computer so I didn't plan this out. The H110 is on the top. How high should the fan speed be after you get over 40C?

 

https://imgur.com/a/7Odw0GP

 

Thanks for taking a look.

[c-attack]

There is no specific fan speed XXX = -1C for coolant. When you coolant gets over 40C, you generally start to bump up against the 80C end CPU temp if you are overclocking. A +1C rise in coolant temp = +1C CPU temp and the same in reverse going down. So if you increase fan speed by 500 rpm and it only reduces coolant/CPU temp by -2C, that is usually bad trade. On most systems, the coolant delta is maybe 6-10C at most, with the 10C being from lots of GPU heat. Your +16C rise in Overwatch is rather mysterious. If the cooler had an internal issue, it would stay up in the 40s for hours after you stopped the load. I don't see that and I am unsure why your temps go up so quickly and to those levels. I don't see anything wrong with your install and this how the majority of people put the case together, as would I. As for max fan speed, you will have to see what works. I typically benchmark my 280mm radiator at 1300 rpm. Past that, I get mostly noise. You will have to see if there are any gains above that, but since it is already so high, I think not. It would be interesting to know if the coolant temps are worse if you limit the fans to 1200 rpm or so.

 

Something else to try is toggling the pump speed between the low and high setting on the desktop. This should produce little to no change in coolant temp with no load. Switch to high (or vice versa) for 5 minutes and see what happens. This is another way to see if there is something wrong internally.

[razor488]

I am having really good luck with a custom fan curve. And I think the biggest difference is I changed the pump from quiet to Extreme. This increased the pump RPM from 2000 to 3100.

 

The new fan curve is 30C/30%, 40C/40%, 45C/50%, 50C/60%, and 55C/100%.

 

With this configuration, I was getting a coolant temp of 42C while playing overwatch, and the fan was pretty quiet. I forgot to check the fan RPM while playing.

[c-attack]

I think the fan curve is appropriate for the levels you are seeing. Interesting temps improved so much with the higher pump speed. This is typically not true on 280mm or larger models. Next time you are at the desktop doing quiet work, toggle the pump from High to Low or the other way around. There should be no change in coolant temp. If you switch it to low and it goes up +3C, that is an area of concern. Same thing going from low to high and a notable reduction in coolant temps, usually accompanied by a whoosh of liquid noise, like someone lifted a sluice gate.